Icheon City Announces '2026 New Year Policy Changes'

[Suwon Ilbo=Eom In-yong, Reporter] On the 20th, Icheon City announced policy changes closely related to citizens' daily lives for the 2026 New Year.

Focusing on changes citizens can experience in their daily lives from both city policies as well as central government and Gyeonggi Province policies, the city organized 116 new policies across five sectors: △General Administration (4 policies) △Welfare, Health, Women's Affairs, Childcare, and Labor (54 policies) △Industry and Economy, Agriculture, Forestry, and Livestock (34 policies) △Environment and Resources, Urban Planning, Transportation, and Construction (13 policies) △Disaster Safety, Culture, Sports, and Tourism (11 policies) for easy understanding.

First, in the administrative sector, as duty officer operations are abolished at all eup, myeon, and dong offices throughout Icheon City, the opening hours of eup, myeon, and dong administrative welfare centers will change.

Weekday operating hours will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the centers will be closed on Saturdays and public holidays. After-hours civil petition calls will be transferred to the City Hall duty room.

Additionally, the validity period for personal customs identification codes will be introduced, requiring annual renewal after issuance. Starting in March, passport issuance fees will increase by 2,000 won.

In the welfare and childcare sectors, policy improvements to enhance citizens' living stability and alleviate childcare burden will be significantly expanded.

As the standard median income increases by 6.51%, minimum living standards will be strengthened.

The meal support unit price for undernourished children has increased from the existing 9,500 won to 10,000 won, and the eligible age for child allowance has been expanded by 12 months, from 8 years old to the month before the child turns 9 years old.

Furthermore, mobile disability registration certificates with the same legal effect as physical registration certificates will be introduced, significantly improving mobility rights and convenience for people with disabilities.

Additionally, childcare support funds of 100,000 won per month per child will be provided to daycare centers for unregistered children from immigrant backgrounds enrolled in childcare centers in the jurisdiction. New programs including father leave incentive support and toy unmanned return boxes (Airaang Cafe Branch 2 of the Comprehensive Childcare Support Center) will also operate.

In the industry and economy sector, policies to help workers' financial stability and stimulate local consumption will be strengthened.

The living wage will increase from the existing 11,270 won per hour to 11,510 won per hour, and the Icheon Love local currency incentive rate will be adjusted to 8% on regular days and 10% during holiday months.

In the agriculture and livestock sector, support will be expanded to reduce burden on farming sites and create sustainable agricultural environments.

A new marker vaccine for swine fever (CSF) will be introduced to pig farms nationwide, expected to improve the antibody differentiation issue of existing vaccines and delay inoculation stress, contributing to productivity improvement.

Additionally, the age range for specialized health check-ups for female farmers will be expanded from the existing 51–70 years to 51–80 years, and age restrictions for forestry successors will be abolished in July.

In the environment, resources, and transportation sector, wildlife transaction reporting and wildlife business licensing systems have been in effect since December 14 of last year. Starting in February, pay-as-you-throw bags with pictograms and multilingual labeling will be introduced to enhance citizen convenience.

Additionally, when registering or changing two-wheeled motor vehicles, a national license plate will be issued instead of regional license plates with area names. Driver license renewal periods will change from the existing annual batch method (1.1.–12.31.) to within 6 months before and after one's birthday.

In the culture and sports sector, integrated cultural vouchers (Cultural Nuri Cards) will be expanded from the existing 140,000 won annually to 150,000 won annually to expand opportunities for cultural enjoyment.

Additionally, the youth cultural and art pass program, previously limited to 19-year-olds, will expand to include both 19 and 20-year-olds, and the number of participating establishments will increase significantly from 2 to 7.

The city plans to publish a '2026 Policy Changes' booklet containing this information and display it at the City Hall and eup, myeon, and dong administrative welfare center civil petition offices. The city will also post it on the city website (www.icheon.go.kr) and actively promote it so citizens can easily check and benefit from these changes.